Both NBC and CBS on Monday highlighted footage of Barack Obama at the
Lincoln memorial on Saturday as they portrayed a President ready to cut
the deficit. In the wake of an averted government shutdown, NBC's Chuck
Todd on Today enthused, "Barely pausing to consider the $38.5 billion in
budget cuts he and congressional leaders had just agreed to...Mr. Obama
is already looking forward" with plans to lower the debt.

The Today show then featured footage of the President at the Lincoln Memorial
from the weekend. On CBS's Early Show, Nancy Cordes narrated, "The President bounded up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial this weekend, trying to put the best face possible on a spending deal he had admitted was not to his liking."

On
Today, Todd actually cited a poll showing public skepticism with
raising the debt limit: "The public is very skeptical about the idea of
raising the nation's credit card limit. And according to the latest NBC
News/Wall Street Journal poll, 62% say the ceiling should not be raised,
compared to 32% who say it should be."

However, he quickly breezed by the result, not offering any analysis on its meaning.

On Good morning America, Jake Tapper explained the possible impact of
an impasse, noting that not raising the debt limit "could impose a huge
tax increase. And the following could be curtailed or cut off: Social
Security checks, Medicare benefits, Medicaid, military salaries, veteran
benefits, unemployment insurance and student loan payments."

A transcript of the April 11 Early Show segment, which aired at 7:07am EDT, follows:

ERICA HILL: We want to go to Washington now, where Congress and the
White House may have agreed on a budget that will fund the federal
government through the end of the year. But bigger battles do lie ahead
over the budget for 2012, and this time lawmakers are arguing over
trillions- not even billions of dollars, trillions.

CBS News congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes is on Capitol Hill
this morning with the very latest. Nancy, good morning- too many zeros
to count almost.

NANCY CORDES: Really, Erica, and we should learn more details today
about what exactly is going to get cut as a result of that 11th hour
deal on Friday night. We already know there will be cuts to defense and
there will be cuts to agriculture, and some Democrats are complaining
big cuts to social programs.

CORDES (voice-over): The President bounded up the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial this weekend, trying to put the best face possible on a
spending deal he had admitted was not to his liking.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I just want to say real quick that because
Congress was able to settle its differences, that's why this place is
open today.

CORDES: After weeks of negotiations, Republicans had secured 38 billion
[dollars] in spending cuts from this year's budget, the largest annual
cuts ever. Within hours of their victory, the GOP was already gearing up
for another battle over the nation's debt limit.

HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER: And I can just tell you this, that there
will not be an increase in the debt limit without something really,
really big attached to it. (applause)

CORDES: Republicans want more long-term cuts, in exchange for their
vote to raise the debt limit, and therefore, prevent the government from
defaulting on its loans. The limit currently stands at $14.3 trillion.
But the Treasury secretary estimates the U.S. will reach that limit in
mid-May.

Looking to gain the upper hand in this spending debate, the White House
revealed Sunday that the President will unveil his own sweeping deficit
reduction proposal this Wednesday.

SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR DAVID PLOUFFE (from CNN's "State of the
Union"): We've got to do it in a balanced way. It can't be all on the
backs of seniors and the middle class.

CORDES: The White House announcement comes just days after Republicans
unveiled their budget for 2012 that would slash more than $5 trillion
over the next decade. They want to privatize Medicare, cap Medicaid,
while reducing taxes for the wealthy from 35% to 25%.

SENATOR PAUL RYAN (from NBC's "Meet the Press"): We have a debt crisis
staring us in the face, and that's what's got to get fixed.

CORDES (live): The President is likely to propose raising taxes on the
wealthy, and he'll also offer his prescriptions for Medicare and Social
Security, two of the primary drivers of the deficit. Erica?

HILL: Nancy Cordes on Capitol Hill this morning. Nancy, thanks.

- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.

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